Oklahoma museum obtains extremely rare, important pieces of aerospace history

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – An extremely rare piece of aerospace history is now at an Oklahoma museum.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first individuals to set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, leaving their mark on aerospace history with the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.

The Stafford Air and Space Museum is now showcasing two very important pieces that flew on the monumental mission- a swatch of wing fabric and a fragment of the propeller from the actual Wright Flyer that Neil Armstrong carried with him to the moon.

“He is most clear about, and most proud of, the pieces of the historic Wright Flyer that he took to the Moon. Under a special arrangement, he took in his LM (Lunar Module) personal preference kit, a piece of wood from the Wright brothers’ 1903 airplane’s left propeller and a piece of muslin fabric (8 x 13 inches) from its upper left wing,” a statement from Armstrong’s biography states.

Organizers say the artifacts are extremely rare and important pieces of aerospace history. Pieces from the first powered aircraft to successfully fly in 1903, then carried to the moon by the first man to walk on the lunar surface in 1969 are considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of aerospace artifacts.

The early aviation gallery in the museum contains a full-scale replica of the Wright Flyer, and these new artifacts are distinctly displayed in a unique antique safe next to the aircraft.